“We are all now connected by the Internet, like neurons in a giant brain.” - Stephen Hawking

Online Safety

For a comprehensive guide on how to set parental controls on lots of popular apps, please visit https://www.internetmatters.org/parental-controls/social-media/ 

TikTok has an age restriction of 13 years, so our children should not be accessing this app. Although our advice is that the app should be deleted or access to it should be restricted, we are aware that some children are still using it, therefore we need to make parents as informed as possible. TikTok is now allowing a family safety mode.  This is designed to give parents tighter control over how their children use the app.  The safety feature will allow parents and carers to link their account to their child’s and have direct control over the safety settings. For more information, please visit this link.

Parental advice regarding WhatsApp: Click here for article

Parental advice regarding Snapchat: Click here for article

Parental advice regarding Instagram (this advice is aimed at teenagers but may still apply to some of our upper Key Stage 2 pupils): Click here to visit the Instagram website

*NEW - Summer 2022*

Currently rolling out within the UK right now, Instagram has launched some new features which I'm sure many parents will welcome. These new features include:

• The ability to see how much time their child spends on Instagram.
• Awareness of who their child is following and who is following their child.
• Notification if/when their child reports someone and the type of report that was made.
• The ability to set specific times when parents can limit their child's screen time.

The features are enabled on Family Centre, where a parent can supervise their child's account. Information about the new features can be found HERE. 

Computing Curriculum

At St. Peter and St. Paul, we intend to prepare our children for their future in an increasingly digital world. Technology is already a part of everyone’s daily lives, and as it changes and evolves rapidly, we believe that it is more vital than ever for children to develop their computing skills confidently and safely.

By the time they leave our school, the children will have gained key knowledge and skills in the three areas of the computing curriculum: digital literacy (finding, sorting and evaluating information), information technology (learning to store, receive and send information), and computer science (including programming). As well as computing lessons to specifically teach these areas, school devices are used across the curriculum to enhance learning in other subjects whilst simultaneously building on children’s digital literacy and information technology skills. Our accessible yet challenging programming scheme also allows children to develop some important transferable skills: including their resilience, problem-solving and critical thinking. 

Our curriculum is structured so that each area is revisited repeatedly throughout the children’s time at school. This ensures that their learning is embedded, and that skills can be successfully developed whilst building on this prior knowledge. Online safety is also prioritised: this is taught in an age-appropriate way to every year group, often relating to current events or reactive to children’s ever-changing use of social media and personal devices at home. By showing children the importance of being safe online, we enable our children to become conscious, respectful and responsible digital citizens.

In Early Years, the children follow the Development Matters Framework. Within their learning, technology is used as the children have the opportunities to use iPads, laptops, and the class interactive whiteboard as learning tools. They explore how everyday technology works and learn basic vocabulary linked to Computing (e.g. on/off, screen, interactive, typing, keyboard, mouse). They also talk about the different factors that support their overall health and wellbeing, including why it is important to have sensible amounts of screen time.